Charging machine



May 2, 1939. v A. FRlcKf 2,156,386

CHARGING MACHINE Filed June 17, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 (E l/r ed flick,

www /w y 1939- A. FRlCK I CHARGING MACHINE Filed June 17, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 1939- A. FRICK CHARGING MACHINE Filed June 17, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 MayZ, 1939. AFRICK 2,156,386

CHARGING MACHINE Filed June 17. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES CHARGING MACHINE Alfred Frick, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to The Morgan Engineering Company, Alliance, Ohio Application June 1'7, 1938, Serial No. 214,363

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in charging apparatus for open hearth furnaces, and more particularly to novel operating gear for locking charging boxes to the peel of such a machine.

In explanation of my invention, reference will be made to the Taylor U. S. Patent No. 1,444,282, dated February 6, 1923, which shows a side elevation of an open hearth charging machine, the

bridge or chassis of which runs on wide gage tracks parallel with a battery of furnaces. Between the furnaces and such tracks there is a standard gage track used for carrying cars loaded with charging boxes. The peel of the charging machine picks up loaded boxes from the cars and clumps their contents into the furnace.

In such a structure, the peel head is provided with a locking bar or cross piece which is drawn into notches in each charging box for the purpose of locking the box to the head of the peel so that the box may be carried by the peel.

The locking and unlocking action of the crosspiece has been performed heretofore by moving a rod which runs centrally through the peel by means of a hand lever mounted directly on the rear end portion of the peel housing. As the peel housing is fulcrumed at its medial portion to allow vertical movement, the operator who stands on a fixed platform has some difficulty in handling such lever. As the operator is at a fixed station and the rear end of the peel housing moves up and down, he must reach down for the lever when the peel head is engaging a box in a high position, and he must stand on tip-toe to operate the lever when the peel head engages a box in a 10W position.

lhe primary purpose of the present invention is to provide improved mechanism which will eliminate this disadvantage. I propose to employ a lever having an axis that is fixed relatively to the operators platform, and to connect such lever to the locking rod of the peel by means which will allow the operator to perform locking 45 and unlocking actions at any position of the peel without stooping or standing on tip-toe. The construction is such as to permit a maximum of vertical movement of the peel when in locked or unlocked position without any movement of the 50 operators lever.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in de- 55 tail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a floor charger embodying my invention and showing a portion of a charging box, charging box car and a portion of an open hearth furnace.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my improved mechanism shown in its relation to the carriage and peel housing of the charging machine, such car- 10 riage and housing being shown in dotted lines.

In this view the locking rod is in locked position and the rear end of the peel housing in its uppermost position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing 15 the peel housing in its lowermost position.

Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 3 but with the locking rod in unlocked position.

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of one end portion of a conventional charging box. '20

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the head of the peel.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the head portion of the peel and the locking rod.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of one end "25 of the charging box taken on the line 88 of Fig. 5. V

Fig. 9 is an elevation of one end of the charging box.

In the drawings, I0 designates the bridge of a charging machine forming a guide or tracks for a carriage Isa having a stationary operators station or platform ll.

l2 designates the housing of the peel 12a (Fig. 7), which is pivotally mounted at l3 on a sta- -35 tionary arm i l of the charging machine. The pivot is positioned at the front end of the carriage and about midway the ends of the peel housing, and its horizontal axis is fixed relatively to the stationary arm I4. A conventional axially movable locking rod it extends through the peel and is provided at its forward end with a cross-piece l6 which moves with the rod in the head E8 of the peel. I

As is customary, the peel head is adapted to enter a vertical pocket I 9 in the end of the charging box 28, which pocket communicates with a cross-shaped slot 2| in the end wall 22 of the box. The notches 23 forming part of the slot 28 receive the ends of the cross-piece it after the peel head has been engaged with the charging box, and when the locking rod 15 is moved rearwardly.

In accordance with my invention, the locking rod (Fig. 2), is actuated by a hand or operators lever or member 24, the lower end of which is pivotally connected at 25 to a stationary portion of the machine adjacent the operators platform, for movement about a horizontal axis. A long link 26 has its rear end pivotally connected at 21 to the medial portion of the lever, and the forward end of the link is pivotally connected at 28 to a short link 29 which in turn is pivotally connected at 30 to a second short link 31 that is pivotally connected at 32 to the housing of the peel. The horizontal axis of the last mentioned pivot is fixed relatively to the peel housing.

A rod 33 has its forward end fixed to the link 29, and its rear end pivotally connected at 34 to an upwardly extending arm 35 of a bell crank lever. The latter is pivotally mounted at 36 at the rear end of the peel for movement about a horizontal axis which is fixed relatively to the peel housing [2. The other arm 3'1 of. the bell crank forms a link of a toggle 38 pivotally connected at 35 to a suspended lever 48 that is pivotally connected at d! to the rear end of the peel housing. The horizontal axis of the pivot M is fixed relatively to the peel housing, and the lever '8!) has its lower end pivotally connected at 42 to the rear end of the locking rod.

With such a construction, it may be seen that regardless of whether the forward end of the peel is in raised or lowered position, the locking rod l5 can be actuated by pushing the lever 2d forwardly. Such movement will function to straighten the toggle 38, and then, even though the rear end of the peel housing moves up or down, the rod l5 will remain in looking position. Furthermore, during such movements, the parts 24, toggle 38, and the bell crank lever 35, 37 will remain in position.

Obviously, when the lever 24 is moved forwardly, it will cause the cross-piece it to move rearwardly in order to lock the peel head to a charging box. After the contents of the box has been dumped into a furnace, the lever 24 may be moved rearwardly into unlocked position for the purpose of releasing the charging box from the peel head, and while the lever 24 is. in unlocked 7,

position, the rear end of the peel housing may move upwardly or downwardly without disturbing the position of the lever 2d, the toggle 38 or the bell crank lever 35, 31.

Due to my construction, one may have an operating lever whose fulcrum point remains in a fixed relation to the operator; an operating lever that does not move unless moved by the operator, regardless of the movements of the peel; and a gearing that retains the locking rod in a locked or unlocked position regardless of the movement of the peel.

While I have disclosed a box and peel wherein the locking takes place by moving the locking rearwardly, I do not Wish to confine myself to any fixed arrangement for'locking, as the gearing can be readily altered to cause a forward movement of the locking rod'in order to lock the peel to the box. All I would haveto do in such a case would be to arrange the toggle 38 to break upwardly instead of downwardly and reverse the movement of the operators lever 24.

I have disclosed what I now consider to be a preferred embodiment of the invention insuch manner that the same may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, however, I am aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit. of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a charging machine, a peel pivotally mounted for movement about a horizontal axis, a movable locking member carried by the peel for locking a charging box to the head of the peel, a fixed operators station, a manually operated member arranged at the operators station, and means operatively connecting said members for actuating the locking member from the manually operated member regardless of the position of the rear end of the peel, the rear end of the peel being movable upwardly and downwardly while the manually operated member remains in a fixed position, said means comprising a lever pivotally connected to the rear end of the peel housing, and a toggle pivotally connected to said lever.

2. In a charging machine, a peel pivotally mounted for movement about a horizontal axis, a movable locking member carried by the peel for locking a charging box to the head of the peel, a fixed operators' station, a manually'operated member arranged at the operators station, and means operatively connecting said members for actuating the locking member from the manually operated member regardless of the position of the rear end of the peel, the rear end of the peel being movable upwardly and downwardly while the manually operated member remains in a fixed position, said means comprising a lever pivotally connected to the rear end of the peel housing, a bell crank lever pivotally connected to the rear end of the peel housing and having an arm, and a link pivotally connecting said arm and the first mentioned lever and forming a toggle.

3. In a charging 'machine, a peel pivotally mounted for movement about a horizontal axis, a movable locking member carried by the peel for locking a charging box to the head of the peel, a fixed cperators station, a manually operated member arranged at the operators station, and means operatively connecting said members for actuating the locking member from the manually operated member regardless of the position of the rear end of the peel, the rear end of the peel being movable upwardly and downwardly while the. manually operated member remains in a fixed position, the last mentioned means comprising an axially movable locking rod connected at its forward end to said locking member, a lever pivotally connected at one end to the rear end of the peel housing and connected at its opposite end to said rod, and a toggle mounted on the rear end of the peel housing and operatively connected to said lever.

4. In a charging machine, a peel having a housing pivotally mounted for movement about a horizontal axis,'an axially movable locking rod carried by the peel, a lever having one of its ends pivotally connected to the peel housing and its other end connected to said rod, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the peel housing and having an arm, a link pivotally connecting said arm to the lever for actuating the latter, a fixed operators station, amanually operated member arranged at the operators station, and means operatively connecting said member to said bell crank for actuating the locking rod by said member, the peelhousin'g being movable upwardly and downwardly relatively to said member.

5. In a charging machine, a peel having a housing pivotally mounted for movement about a horizontal axis, an axially movable locking rod carried by the peel, a lever having one of its ends pivotally connected to the peel housing and its other end connected to said rod, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the peel housing and having an arm, a link pivotally connecting said arm to the lever for actuating the latter, a fixed operators station, a, manually operated member arranged at. the operators station, and means operatively connecting said member to said bell crank for actuating the locking rod by said member, the peel housing being movable upwardly and downwardly relatively to said member, said means including links pivotally connected to said housing, a rod connecting one of the last mentioned links to the bell crank lever, and means connecting one of the last mentioned links to said member.

6. In a charging machine, a carriage having a fixed operators station, an arm on the carriage, a peel having a housing pivotally connected to the arm for movement about a horizontal axis, an axially movable locking rod carried by the peel, a lever having one of its ends pivotally connected to the rear end of the housing and its opposite end connected to the rear end of said rod, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the rear end portion of the housing and having an arm, a first link pivotally connecting the lever to said arm, the arm and link forming a toggle, a second link pivotally connected to a medial portion of said housing, a third link pivotally connected to the second link, a rod pivotally connected at its rear end to said bell crank lever and connected at its forward end to the third link, a manually operated member mounted on the carriage and arranged at the operators station, and a fourth link connecting said member to the third link.

7. In a charging apparatus for open hearth furnaces or the like, a carriage, a peel pivotally mounted at its medial portion on said carriage for movement about a horizontal axis, an axially movable locking rod carried by the peel and movable by the power of the operator, an operators station fixedly mounted on the carriage at the rear end portion of the peel, a control member mounted at the operators station and manipulated by the operator, and linkage directly transmitting movements of the control member to the rear end portion of the locking rod in all positions of the peel to permit the operator to actuate the locking rod under his own power regardless of the position of the rear end of the peel.

ALFRED FRICK. 

